The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms

by Timothy J. Keller

Evil carries within it the seeds of its own destruction. Not only is it a bore—leading to dissatisfaction and emptiness (verse 14)—but it recoils on itself. You fall into the pit you have dug for others. Haters are hated, deceivers are deceived, gossips are gossiped about.

In the Bible foolishness means a destructive self-centeredness. Fools cannot bear to have anyone over them, and so they ignore God or deny he exists. Some of this rebellion exists in every heart. Every sin is a kind of practical atheism—it is acting as if God were not there.

How can we always keep a clear conscience? There are two parts to it. Do the right thing. But when you don’t, immediately repent, knowing that you are “the apple of [God’s] eye.”

The psalms repeatedly call God a refuge, because we so constantly need it. Habitually turning to God for refuge is the only real support we have in life.

In verses 4 through 19 David says he defeated his enemies, but here he says God did it. Is it we who work or God? Both—and this paradox (Philippians 2:12) is no contradiction. David knew, in the end, that God accomplished it all through his grace, despite David’s imperfect efforts. But that did not make him passive.

Work done in the belief it is all up to us becomes a joyless, deadly grind. Only those who know that salvation comes by sheer grace, not our efforts, have the inner dynamic of grateful joy (Colossians 3:15–17) that empowers the greatest efforts. So the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Why work become grind

We must live, then, on the basis of what God has revealed, not what we feel. Pilots who fly into clouds must follow their instruments even when those contradict their clear sense perceptions of which way is up, or they will inevitably die.24 When we go through clouds of prosperity or adversity, we must not go on feelings of self-sufficiency or despair but rather should trust a gracious, wise God.

The liberation of forgiveness starts with honesty. It is only when we uncover and admit our sin (verse 5) that God is willing to cover it (verse 1). That is, he removes our objective guilt so it can’t bring us into punishment (verse 5), and he removes our subjective shame so we don’t remain in inner anguish (verse 3 and 4). The happiest (most “blessed”) people in the world are those who not only know they need to be deeply forgiven but also have experienced it.

How can we be delivered from all our fears (verse 4)? The answer is comprehensive. Build an identity that gets its significance (“glory”)—makes its “boast” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)—not from your accomplishments or racial identity or talent or moral efforts or family but from God (verse 2). Then and only then is the foundation of your self-worth secure and not subject to fears or shame (verse 5).

What did David do when his prayers returned to him unanswered during his persecution (verse 13)? The delay caused him grief and he expressed it. He mourned and wept. There was no pietistic, forced cheerfulness such as “I’m fine, just trusting the Lord!” (verse 14). But his grieving was still being done before God; he didn’t stop praying.

Most of us in suffering stop praying or put up a brief petition for help. Here the psalmist nearly shouts his pain, frustration, and even anger to God, but the significant thing is that he does so before God, processing his grief in sustained prayer. God understands us so well that he permits, even encourages, us to speak to him with uncensored hearts.

And the Lord is “our guide even to the end” (verse 14). The end of what? There are many endings in life, the greatest one being death. Its mystery and terror are made bearable by the knowledge that Jesus will be with us, into death and out the other side.

Jesus is the guide unti.the end

The key is to have a heart constantly vitalized by deliberate remembering of the costly sacrifice of Jesus. We must remember that for our sins Jesus was, as it were, forgotten (“Why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46) so that God can now no more forget us than a mother her nursing infant (Isaiah 49:14–16). Remembering that will make you a great heart.

Prayer: Lord, I worry because I forget your wisdom, I resent because I forget your mercy, I covet because I forget your beauty, I sin because I forget your holiness, I fear because I forget your sovereignty. You always remember me; help me to always remember you. Amen.

Forget prayer

One of the marks of addiction is the “tolerance effect,” in which an addict needs greater and greater doses of a drug to get the same sensation. Similarly, anything besides God that we get our meaning from or put our hopes in will, after an initial “rush,” increasingly bore us. Only God and his love become more and more engaging, absorbing, and satisfying forever.

Tolerance Effect

Some seem very eager to follow God (verse 34). They speak eloquently of their faith (Hosea 6:1–3) and exhibit much joy in believing (Matthew 13:20–21). Yet their faith never lasts. They turn to God only when their sin has painful consequences (“Whenever God slew them, they would seek him,” verse 34). For example, they may be honest, but only out of fear of being found out or from of a desire to appear moral and upright.

The history recounted in this psalm shows how patient God is (verses 38–39). He is “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 86:15). He says, “I take no pleasure in the death of anyone. . . . Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32, cf. Romans 2:4). It is only because he bears with us patiently, never fully giving anyone what they deserve when they deserve it, that anyone is saved (2 Peter 3:15).

So Christians are creations of God’s supernatural grace. In themselves they are foolish, weak, and lowly (1 Corinthians 1:26–31), but through Christ they can change the world (Acts 17:6). Are you just a nice person or a new spiritually new person? Is your character changing, growing in spiritual fruit?

All sin is fighting God, usurping his authority, taking his place. Even believers must acknowledge that in every wrongdoing they are making themselves God’s enemies. (“Against you, you only, have I sinned,” Psalm 51:4.)

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